If you live in London and love soup, unless you’ve been living under a blanket of egg fried noodles you’ll have noticed an outbreak of ramen restaurants popping up all over the capital.

Noodle broth has been taken to new dizzying heights – we’re talking bone broth, that’s 18 hours of simmering piggy or chicken bones (mushrooms for the veggies) which results in a liquid full of meatiness. The Japanese soup for the soul has never been more trendy – or worthy.

Ever so slightly like sitting in a goldfish bowl with over-attentive staff, Ippudo isn’t somewhere you go to waste time or faff about with side dishes. You come here for ramen, maybe some sake, and then you leave. That’s the deal and it’s a good one.

The ramen menu is short and sweet with pork broth or seaweed broth for the veggies. There’s a good selection of toppings too: boiled or poached egg, bamboo shoots, takana leaf mustard and pork belly chashu (barbecued), to name a few.

Where: West EndHow much: from £10We say: queues can be long and it’s easy to rack up a hefty bill sipping sake and starters while you wait for a table. Keep your head in the game: you came here for ramen

If you’re looking to enjoy your ramen in a more peaceful setting, Sasuke is all white walls and wooden tables. The spicy miso chashu ramen, with its chilli pork and chilli kick to the broth, is worth a try – as are the gyoza.

Where: Central LondonHow much: £11.90 – £13.90We say: this is at the more expensive end of the ramen spectrum. If you add a soft boiled egg then you’ll cross over £15

If you need your noodles in a hurry, this is the place to go. Specialising in tonkotsu ramen, the broth is long-simmered, the noodles bouncy and there’s a good selection of options: pork marinated in white miso, barbecued pork belly, chicken karaage, kimchi.

Where: 3 branches in the West EndHow much: from £9We say: their Soho offering is worth a trip for their selection of sake alone (they also have a sake sommelier) – but you won’t be seated unless you’re eating.